A review by jillmccracken
Key Player by Kelly Yang

4.0

Key Player is the fourth book in Kelly Yang’s Front Desk series that the kids and I have been listening to in the car on the way to and from school. In this novel, Mia navigates the 1999 Women’s World Cup that is pitting her two countries, America and China, against one another. Ms. Yang continues to include the lovely collection of characters, but Mia and Hank are probably still our favorites. We also loved Lupe’s journey in this book with regards to her sexuality; and I never thought I’d say it, but our opinion on Mr. Yao changed so much after learning about his upbringing and why he is the way he is. This book is dedicated to people who were not good at PE, and it promotes the idea that you don’t have to be good at physical activities to find enjoyment from them. This is what Mia learns over the course of the book as she is bit by soccer fever and learns how to play. The fifth book was published in August, so we are looking forward to starting that next week!